Belladonna is your partner

[mike777]

Hamman and Wolff hold your cards at other table

 

Hand 1) IMPs NV//NV

 

Q5=8=AKJT643=J94

 

1H=1S=2H=3D

3H=P==P==?

 

HAND 2) IMPS VUL//NV

 

T943=AT9=92=J982

 

1H=P=2H=3D

P=P=3H=P

P=?

[Guest Jlall]

1) 4D. Close one.

 

2) pass. No problem here, I take it pard has a monster if this is being posted :rolleyes:

 

Edit: just noticed subtitle is 1972... people were much sounder then so maybe i should bid more on the first one. I still wouldnt bid on the second one no matter how sound people are lol. I am very used to a 1 level overcall NV not promising much though (hence 1)

[HeartA]

1) 3♠.

 

2) I passed, didn't I? Hadn't my lho compete to 3♥, we would be in 3♦. I am happy we pushed opps to a higher level, so I will pass.

[Double !]

what? we're supposed to bid 3S on hand one, telling partner we have dbltn honor and an escape to 4D is it's wrong, and let P then bid 3NT with hearts stopped? Actually, that's not such a bad idea.....lololol

 

Partner might very well be on a 6 card suit with not that good a hand, like a wjo. Didn't the italians play roman jump overcalls, suit bid and next higher suit way back then?

 

hand 2 = pass. Partner will still have a chance to force me to bid, like with a double. I might just then chance 3NT.

[luke warm]

on hand 1 i'd double... on hand 2 i'd pass

[beatrix45]

:(

 

Hand 1:

 

One thing is for sure. I am afraid to bid 3♠ because the hand might completely fall apart. Partner would have to have something like AKJxx in ♠ and Qx in ♦ where the ♠ J (or 3-3 ♠) would be key.

 

As between 4♦ and PASS, it looks like 4♦ is better when there are 18 tricks (-50 vs -140 and +130 vs +50 and +150 vs +100). But when there are only 17 tricks, PASS is a lot better (-140 vs -150 or -500 and +50 vs -100 and +100 vs -50 and +150 vs +130).

 

Just (or even more) likely to be 17 as 18 tricks in the hand. Looks like PASS is the right call.

 

Hand 2:

 

No reason to think we can make our contract, and prospects for defeating theirs look fairly good. The ♥ A109 might turn into a trump promotion.

 

PASS

[Gerben42]

First hand: Very close one. I would bid 3♠ assuming I would have supported before if I had better support.

 

Second hand: Partner was under pressure bidding 3♦ because after double and 3♥ he cannot show his suit and bidding 4♦ is past 3NT. But still, I'd pass...

[Guest Jlall]

Just (or even more) likely to be 17 as 18 tricks in the hand. Looks like PASS is the right call.

Im not a LOTT fan but it seems to me 18 is much more likely.

 

For starters, I assume the opps have 9 hearts. Pard just needs 2 diamonds for us to have 9 trumps there. Plus it seems there would be positive adjustments for both purity and a long suit (all of your points in your suits are always a good thing). If partner has a stiff diamond though, I agree pass is likely best. He may also have 3 diamonds however (dont tell me he would bid 4D on 5332). We are also still in the game zone, and have a shot of getting there if we bid 4D (give pard AKxxx xxx xxx Ax and he will bid game for instance).

[beatrix45]

Just (or even more) likely to be 17 as 18 tricks in the hand.  Looks like PASS is the right call.

Im not a LOTT fan but it seems to me 18 is much more likely.

:)

You are correcto. I was looking at seven ♦, but I only saw six.

 

Nevermind.

[Fluffy]

How much sounder were them in 1972? I would pass and pass on both nowadays, but then I feel tempted with 3NT on first if 1♠ is really sound.

[mike777]

Both these hands were from John Swanson's book, Inside the Bermuda Bowl (1998).

 

This was controversial chapter on Blue Team and ethics. Walter Avarelli held both hands. Swanson says Blue Team dominated bridge in two areas, opening leads and competitive bidding. He has many opening lead examples and these were two competitive bidding hand examples.

 

Hand 1) Belladonna held, AT8432=QT5=8=765. Avarelli passed and collected plus 50.

 

Hand 2) Belladonna held, J5=8=AKQ854=AQT5. Avarelli bid 4D and collected plus 130.

[Guest Jlall]

no comment... :P